Personal

Archives

PT Usha, once the golden girl of Indian track, nations’ pride, once a Padmashri, once a recipient of Arjuna Award, but more than once insulted, humiliated by her own countrymen.

Just the latest, the sprint queen was reduced to tears in Bhopal at the National Open Athletics Championship, after the organizers failed to give her and her athletes a decent accommodation for the stay. Aptly she said “If I get this type of treatment, you can imagine what other athletes get. That is why parents are not encouraging their children to go in for sports and that is why we are not getting any medals at international levels. I feel insulted.”

The last time I remember was when the country conveniently forgot to include her as one of the torch bearer for Olympics 2004, Athens, instead Bipasha Basus, Viveik Oberois were seen running with it. The irony of Indian sport is the ‘use and abuse theory’. It’s not surprising then, that Indian sport barring a few, is nowhere in the international scenario.

Another much recent incident which I remember now what happened with Renu Gora, three time Boxer champion, bronze medalist in World Boxing Championship 2006, who is still jobless, was seen serving tea to the media and other officials in NIS, Patiala. The other girls who get training there were also meant to be washing utensils and obeying the orders of these shameless officials. Now c’mon Renu you are a boxer..show them you are. Will someday Vijendra Singh salvage them from such conditions? Hmm, just a bleary hope.

Another shameful incident when a national level athlete was forced to become a prostitute thanks to all the miseries which led her to poverty,…still remains in jail for not having money to pay for bail.

Such similar incidents must be endless, thousands unheard, living in obscurity in their meagre pension in some stenchy rat-hole of the society. Will there be a saviour someday, a desi superhero for the Indian sport (cricket excluded)? Cricketers these days, after retirement make more money by commentating than what they earned otherwise. Can there be more of Dr. Vijay Mallyas’ to not only encourage new sporting avenues but also to uplift the existing, degenerating ones?

I see my latest topics taking birth from some controversy being discussed on twitter. So this time it is the Mumbai-Bombay dialogue issue which came into news as soon as the movie Wake up Sid produced by Karan Johar released. Had to be Raj Thackeray, the MNS chief who thought it was an apt issue to pick up and time for some footage. Saying Bombay instead of Mumbai was the questionable crime which hurt the Marathi pride according to him. Will somebody please take a poll on how many marathis were hurt!

Well! some people want to throw their weight around or create news so that they remain in news which so ever way..and this time so they succeeded too. KJ took no time to kowtow or else he better as easily forget his 40 crores too. So best solution is to give in to the gundaRaj.. so what if the gesture has only encouraged their guts multifold in gundaism, forever. A disclaimer was then added in the beginning of the movie.

I haven’t seen the movie yet, may be Bombay word was used just for correct creative effect in certain context. Well I anyways don’t expect these blokes to understand creativity. If something were detrimental to the society, to protest makes sense. No one protests movie to be openly abusive titled Kaminey. I refer it Bombay still so many times as in Germany many people are not familiar with the new name.

Why can’t these people use their power in right direction rather than wasting energy in trivial something? How about stopping the monumental waste of 350 crores by the Maharashtra Govt in erecting Chhatrapati Shivaji statue in the middle of Arabian Sea? Can he change the registered movie title Bombay by Mani Rathnam, or Bombay to Goa? Incidentally Bombay was released in the same year 1995 when the changing of names took place.

So finally something so ironic, any case against him or any mumbaikar for that matter will and goes to BOMBAY High Court (the institution which did not follow suit in changing its name). Thankfully mortals can’t get bigger than the law.